Toyota Motor reported a 4.8% year-on-year decline in global vehicle sales in July, as weaker demand in China, the United States and the Middle East weighed on the Japanese automaker’s performance.
According to Reuters, Toyota sold 856,125 vehicles globally in July, while worldwide production declined by 2.1%compared with the same month last year.
China remained the biggest challenge for Toyota, with sales plunging 24.3% in July. The decline marked the sixth consecutive month of year-on-year sales decreases in the Chinese market.
Toyota said higher gasoline prices in China affected demand for both hybrid and conventional-engine vehicles, contributing to the decline.
In the United States, Toyota sales edged down 0.8%, while sales in the Middle East dropped sharply by 44.5%.
Japan delivered stronger results, with domestic sales increasing 11% in July, helping partially offset declines in international markets.
Toyota’s global production fell 2.1% during July, although performance varied across major markets.
Production in China declined 32.7%, while US production fell 4%. Meanwhile, production in Japan increased 12.4%.
Exports from Japan increased for the third consecutive month, rising 10.2% to slightly more than 196,000 vehicles. This represented the automaker’s highest monthly export volume since October.
The reported figures include vehicles sold and produced under Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand.
